Song Lyric Sunday – A Multitude of Musings

Song Lyric Sunday: Kitchen

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Astrid

Hi everyone. It’s been forever since I took part in Song Lyric Sunday, but today, I wanted to. Today’s prompt is house/room/shower/kitchen/attic. This wasn’t as easy as it initially seemed. I mean, I know a ton of songs about “home”, but “home” isn’t necessarily the same as “house”.

Then, I was tempted to share that famous Venga Boys song. You know, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, I want you in my room? I was a little too old for this music at thirteen when the Venga Boys were popular, but still I liked them more than my younger sister did and this song was definitely a guilty pleasure.

I finally decided to check out one of my favorite country singers, Bobby Bare, on Spotify and see if he had any songs that fit the prompt. Then, I quite easily stumbled upon Singin’ in the Kitchen. I’d honestly never heard this song before and I don’t really like it now that I have, but I like Bobby Bare and am guessing this isn’t a song many others would come up with, so…

Song Title: Singin’ in the Kitchen
Singer: Bobby Bare
Songwriter: Shel Silverstein

Shall we do it? (Shall we do it?)
Okay this is, uh (no, I think we shouldn’t)
Is everybody ready now? (Yeah!) Okay!
Here we go singin’ in the kitchen, all together now, singin’ in the kitchen
Everybody singin’ in the kitchen, bangin’ on the pots and pans
Mommy and daddy singin’ in the kitchen, baby laughin’, singin’ in the kitchen
All the kids singin’ in the kitchen, bangin’ on the pots and pans
Supper’s done and the table’s clear, baby wants a bottle and I want a beer
Lord I sure am glad I’m here where there’s lots of love to share
And I clap hands and everybody sings, dishes cling and the banjo rings
There’s gravy on these guitar strings but I don’t really care
‘Cause here we are singin’ in the kitchen, all together now, singin’ in the kitchen
Everybody singin’ in the kitchen, bangin’ on the pots and pans
I’ll play the comb and you’ll play the spoons
I’ll sing the words and you’ll sing the tunes
We’ll wake up the old man in the moon ’cause we sing so loud (yeah)
I’ll hug ya all and you’ll hug mother, snuggle up close to one another
Just like bread on a piece of butter, Lord it makes me feel so proud
‘Cause here we are singin’ in the kitchen, all together now, singin’ in the kitchen
Everybody singin’ in the kitchen, bangin’ on the pots and pans
Now the fireplace embers are glowin’ red, everybody’s tired and it’s time for bed
Baby’s noddin’ his little sleepy head so let’s sing quiet now, shh!
What do we love? (Singin’ in the kitchen) can’t get enough (singin’ in the kitchen)
Whole lotta love (singin’ in the kitchen) bangin’ on the pots and pans
Mommy and daddy (singin’ in the kitchen) a little bitty baby (singin’ in the kitchen)
All the kids (singin’ in the kitchen) bangin’ on the pats and pans, shh!
Everybody singin’ in the kitchen, bangin’ on the pots and pans
Yeah, mommy and daddy singin’ in the kitchen, baby laughin’, (singin’ in the kitchen)
All the kids singin’ in the kitchen, bangin’ on the pots and pans

Song Lyric Sunday: Black

Posted on February 7, 2021May 9, 2021 by Astrid

Hi lovely people on this snowy Sunday. Today I initially wanted to continue with the #Write28Days prompts, but I guess I’ll try that back again tomorrow. The point is I’m still writing. Today, I’m joining Song Lyric Sunday, for which the theme this week is “Colors”. Now despite my attempts at changing it, black for sure still has to be my favorite color. Therefore, I’m choosing a song with “black” in the title. Now that I think of it, I of course could go with The Man in Black by Johnny Cash, as it’s far more meaningful than this one, but oh well, this one came to mind first.

I first heard the song Black Is the Colour a few months ago when I was listening to Cara Dillon songs. Turns out Cara Dillon’s is a cover. The song most likely originated in Scotland and was first known in the U.S. as an Appallachian traditional. Cara Dillon first recorded it in 2001. As you can see, she addresses it to a female. I originally thought this odd for a traditional, but it turns out both male and female artists have recorded this song in various ways, addressing both men and women.

Title: Black Is the Colour
Singer: Cara Dillon
Release Date: 2001

Black is the colour of my true love’s hair
Her lips are like a rose so fair
She’s got the sweetest face and the gentlest hands
I love the ground whereon she stands

I love my love and well she knows
I love the ground whereon she goes
And how I whish the day would come
When she and I can be as one

I go to the Clyde and mourn and weep
Satisfied I never will sleep
I’ll write her a letter, just a few short lines
And suffer death ten thousand times

Song Lyric Sunday: Four

Posted on May 17, 2020May 9, 2021 by Astrid

I just saw today’s theme for Song Lyric Sunday and it appealed to me right away. The theme is numbers. I’ve always had a thing for numbers. I have number-color synesthesia, so I really wanted to choose a number for which the color fits the feel of the song. That didn’t work out (or I’m too lazy to think more). Instead, I’m going with a song that has the number four in its title. To my husband and me, four is a special number. This song is also one of my favorite songs.

I’m talking of course about Four Strong Winds. It was originally written by Ian Tyson, of whom I’d never heard until googling this. He and his future wife, Ian and Sylvia, first released it on a single in 1963. I will post the original lyrics, which are slightly different to the ones Bobby Bare sings I think. I’ll post the Bobby Bare cover, as that’s the one I usually listen to.

Song Title: Four Strong Winds
Original Singers: Ian and Sylvia
Covered By: Bobby Bare
Songwriter: Ian Tyson
Original Release Date: 1963

Think I’ll go out to Alberta, weather’s good there in the fall
I got some friends that I could go to working for
Still I wish you’d change your mind,
If I asked you one more time
But we’ve been through this a hundred times or more
Four strong winds that blow lonely, seven seas that run high
All those things that don’t change, come what may
If the good times are all gone, and I’m bound for moving on
I’ll look for you if I’m ever back this way.
If I get there before the snow flies, and if things are looking good
You could meet me if I sent you down the fare
But by then it would be winter, not too much for you to do
And those winds sure can blow cold way out there
Four strong winds that blow lonely, seven seas that run high
All those things that don’t change, come what may
If the good times are all gone, so I’m bound for moving on
I’ll look for you if I’m ever back this way.
Still I wish you’d change your mind,
If I asked you one more time
But we’ve been through that a hundred times or more
Four strong winds that blow lonely, seven seas that run high
All those things that don’t change, come what may
If the good times are all gone, and I’m bound for moving on
I’ll look for you if I’m ever back this way.
I’ll look for you if I’m ever pass this way

Song Lyric Sunday: Bus or Truck

Posted on October 6, 2019May 9, 2021 by Astrid

Man, I totally flaked out on the 31-day writing challenge. Well, whatever. I’ve not been feeling well, both physically and mentally. Today I’m feeling slightly better, so it’s time for a blog post.

This week’S theme for Song Lyric Sunday is Bus/Truck/Lorry. I am going to share my favorite children’s song: Wheels on the Bus. The lyrics I found weren’t the same ones I normally listen to and I can’t find the right ones (unless they’re attached to the YouTube video). Here are the lyrics I found first, and then my favorite version on YouTube, which is by The Gigglebellies.

The wheels on the bus go round and round
Round and round
Round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All ’round the town
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish
Swish, swish, swish
Swish, swish, swish
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish
All ’round the town
The driver on the bus goes ‘move on back’
Move on back
Move on back
The driver on the bus goes ‘move on back’
All ’round the town
The people on the bus go up and down
Up and down
Up and down
The people on the bus go up and down
All ’round the town
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep
Beep, beep, beep
Beep, beep, beep
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep
All ’round the town
The baby on the bus goes ‘whaa whaa whaa’
Whaa whaa whaa
Whaa whaa whaa
The baby on the bus goes ‘whaa whaa whaa’
All ’round the town
The parents on the bus go ‘shh, shh, shh’
Shh, shh, shh
Shh, shh, shh
The parents on the bus go ‘shh, shh, shh’
All ’round the town

There’s also a similar song about the wheels on the truck. I don’t listen to that nearly as often though.

Song Lyric Sunday: Bird in the Sky

Posted on September 8, 2019May 9, 2021 by Astrid

I am once again joining in with Song Lyric Sunday. The prompt this week is Bird/Fly/Sky/Wing. The song I selected fits several of these words.

For today’s theme, I have chosen an oldie from my own country of the Netherlands. Paloma blanca (also called Una paloma blanca) was written by Hans Bouwens (aka George Baker) in 1975 and was popular across Europe and even in the United States. I never quite understood what a palm tree did in the lyrics, until I discovered today that “paloma” means “dove”.

Song Title: Paloma Blanca
Songwriter: Hans Bouwens
Band: George Baker Selection
Release Date: March 22, 1975

When the sun shines on the mountains
And the night is on the run
It’s a new day, it’s a new way
And I fly up to the sun
I can feel the morning sunlight
I can smell the new-born hay
I can hear God’s voices calling
From my golden sky-light way
Una paloma blanca
I’m just a bird in the sky
Una paloma blanca
Over the mountain I fly
No one can take my freedom away
Once I had my share of losing
Once they locked me on a chain
Yes, they tried to break my power
Oh, I still can feel the pain
Una paloma blanca
I’m just a bird in the sky
Una paloma blanca
Over the mountain I fly
No one can take my freedom away

Song Lyric Sunday: Cowboy

Posted on September 1, 2019May 9, 2021 by Astrid

It’s Sunday and that means it’s time for another installment of Song Lyric Sunday. I don’t participate each week, but this week, the theme was easy. For the theme of Cowboy/Gun/Hat/Horse/Western, I am choosing one of the songs on my Country playlist on Spotify. I don’t remember how I first learned about this song, but its meaning definitely speaks to me.

Song Title: Faster Horses (The Cowboy and the Poet)
Singer/Songwriter: Tom T. Hall
Release Date: 1995

He was an old-time cowboy, don’t you understand
His eyes were sharp as razor blades his face was leather tan
His toes were pointed inward from a-hangin’ on a horse
He was an old philosopher, of course
He was so thin I swear you could have used him for a whip
He had to drink a beer to keep his britches on his hips
I knew I had to ask him about the mysteries of life
He spit between his boots and he replied
“It’s faster horses, younger women,
Older whiskey, and more money”
He smiled and all his teeth were covered with tobacco stains
He said, “It don’t do men no good to pray for peace and rain.
Peace and rain is just a way to say prosperity,
And buffalo chips is all it means to me.”
I told him I was a poet, I was lookin’ for the truth
I do not care for horses, whiskey,
Women or the loot I said I was a writer,
My soul was all on fire
He looked at me an’ he said, “You are a liar.”
“It’s faster horses, younger women,
Older whiskey, and more money”
Well, I was disillusioned, if I say the least
I grabbed him by the collar and I jerked him to his feet
There was something cold and shiny layin’ by my head
So I started to believe the things he said
Well, my poet days are over and I’m back to being me
As I enjoy the peace and comfort of reality
If my boy ever asks me what it is that
I have learned I think that I will readily affirm
“It’s faster horses, younger women,
Older whiskey, and more money”
“It’s faster horses, younger women,
Older whiskey, and more money”

Song Lyric Sunday: Movies

Posted on July 28, 2019May 9, 2021 by Astrid

I am rather late to join in with Song Lyric Sunday and I’m twisting the prompt a little. After all, I rarely if ever watch movies, so I have no idea what songs are in them. For this reason, I’m going with a song that wasn’t a movie title song, but should have been. Tom Lehrer famously introduces this song that he proposes as the motion picture title song for the movie Oedipus Rex. I am too lazy to look up the lyrics that include the introduction though.

Song Title: Oedipus Rex
Singer/Songwriter: Tom Lehrer
Release Date: 1959

From the Bible to the popular song
There’s one theme that we find right along
Of all ideals they hail as good
The most sublime is motherhood

There was a man though, who it seems
Once carried this ideal to extremes
He loved his mother and she loved him
And yet his story is rather grim

There once lived a man named Oedipus Rex
You may have heard about his odd complex
His name appears in Freud’s index
Cause he loved his mother

His rivals used to say quite a bit
That as a monarch he was most unfit
But still in all they had to admit
That he loved his mother

Yes, he loved his mother like no other
His daughter was his sister and his son was his brother
One thing on which you can depend is
He sure knew who a boy’s best friend is

When he found what he had done
He tore his eyes out, one by one
A tragic end to a loyal son
Who loved his mother

So be sweet and kind to mother
Now and then have a chat
Buy her candy or some flowers
Or a brand new hat
But maybe you had better let it go at that

Or you may find yourself with a quite complex complex
And you may end up like Oedipus
I’d rather marry a duck-billed platypus
Than end up like old Oedipus Rex

Song Lyric Sunday: Desire/Lust/Romance/Passion

Posted on June 9, 2019May 9, 2021 by Astrid

It’s Sunday and once again, I am participating in Song Lyric Sunday. Today, the theme is Desire/Lust/Romance/Passion. I am sharing a little song, which I already wanted to share several weeks ago when the theme was Fire or something like it.

In 2008 or 2009, my husband introduced me to Tom Lehrer. The first songs I heard were I Hold Your Hand in Mine and Poisoning Pigeons in the Park. For my 23rd birthday, I however got a CD with lots of songs by Lehrer. One of them is The Masochism Tango, which I am sharing here. I love the upbeat tune and the lyrics, of course.

Title: The Masochism Tango
Singer and Songwriter: Tom Lehrer

Another familiar type of love song is the passionate or
fiery variety, usually in tango tempo, in which the singer exhorts his partner to haunt him and taunt him and, if at
all possible, to consume him with a kiss of fire. This particular illustration of this genre is called
„The Masochism Tango”.
I ache for the touch of your lips, dear
But much more for the touch of your whips, dear
You can raise welts
Like nobody else
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
Let our love be a flame, not an ember
Say it’s me that you want to dismember
Blacken my eye
Set fire to my tie
As we dance to the Masochism Tango
At your command
Before you here I stand
My heart is in my hand . . .
(Yeechh!)
It’s here that I must be
My heart entreats
Just hear those savage beats
And go put on your cleats
And come and trample me
Your heart is hard as stone or mahogany
That’s why I’m in such exquisite agony
My soul is on fire
It’s aflame with desire
Which is why I perspire when we tango
You caught my nose
In your left castanet, love
I can feel the pain yet, love
Ev’ry time I hear drums
And I envy the rose
That you held in your teeth, love
With the thorns underneath, love
Sticking into your gums
Your eyes cast a spell that bewitches
The last time I needed twenty stitches
To sew up the gash
You made with your lash
As we danced to the Masochism Tango
Bash in my brain
And make me scream with pain
Then kick me once again
And say we’ll never part
I know too well
I’m underneath your spell
So, darling, if you smell
Something burning, it’s my heart . . . (hiccup)
‘Scuse me!
Take your cigarette from its holder
And burn your initials in my shoulder
Fracture my spine
And swear that you’re mine
As we dance to the Masochism Tango

Song Lyric Sunday: Road

Posted on June 2, 2019May 9, 2021 by Astrid

It’s Sunday and that means it’s time for our weekly dose of song lyrics with Song Lyric Sunday. I don’t participate much at all, but today, I felt like it. The theme for this week is Avenue/Boulevard/Drive/Lane/Road/Street. I didn’t immediately have a song in mind, particularly because I shared my favorite song on this theme already some months ago. I also didn’t want to choose a song that everyone would know. So for today, I’m choosing Six Days on the Road by Dave Dudley.

Dave Dudley is most popular in Hamburg, Germany, due to a German country band called Truck Stop. They have a song titled Ich möcht’ so gern Dave Dudley hör’n. I like that song better than Dave Dudley’s own songs, but that song doesn’t correspond to the theme.

Title: Six Days on the Road
Songwriter(s): Earl Green, Carl Montgomery
Singer: Dave Dudley

Well I pulled outta Pittsburgh a rollin’ down that Eastern Sea board
I got my diesel wound up and she’s a runnin’ like a never before
There’s a speed zone ahead alright well I don’t see a cop in sight
Six days on the road and I’m a gonna make it home tonight
I got me ten forward gears and my George overdrive
I’m takin’ little white pills and my eyes are open wide
I just passed a Jimmy in white been passin’ everything in sight
Six days on the road I said I’m a gonna make it home tonight
Well it seems like a month since I kissed my baby goodbye
I could have a lotta women but I’m not like that sort of a guy
I could find one to hold me tight but I could never make believe it’s alright
Six days on the road I said I’m a gonna make it home tonight
Well the ICC is a checkin’ on down the line
Well I’m a little overweight and my log book’s way behind
Cause there’s nothin’ bothers me tonight I can dodge all the scales alright
Six days on the road I said I’m a gonna make it home tonight
Well my rig’s a little old but that don’t mean she’s slow
There’s a flame from my stack and that smoke’s blowin’ black as coal
Oh well my hometown’s a comin’ in sight if you think I’m a happy you’re right
Six days on the road I said I’m a gonna make it home tonight
Six days on the road I said I’m a gonna make it home tonight
Six days on the road I said I’m a gonna make it home tonight

Song Lyric Sunday: Occupation

Posted on March 3, 2019May 9, 2021 by Astrid

I haven’t participated in Song Lyric Sunday in months and for a while, I couldn’t find it. Turns out Helen, the founder of the challenge, is struggling with her health. Jim over at A Unique Title for Me is temporarily hosting the challenge now. This week’s theme is Occupation.

The first song that came to mind is a song I used to listen to a lot in the early 2000s, and some later too when I didn’t have an active Internet connection. I had a Jim Croce CD that I’d borrowed from my parents and never given back. Here is the song I’m referring to. For those not aware, I had no idea what this song was about when I listened to it a lot, since I grew up in an era past operators. For those who didn’t grow up with landlines at all, can you imagine this?

Title: Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)

Singer/Songwriter: Jim Croce

Release Date: 1972

Operator, well could you help me place this call
See, the number on the match book is old and faded
She’s living in L.A.
With my best old ex-friend Ray
A guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated

[Chorus]
But isn’t that the way they say it goes
Well let’s forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell ’em I’m fine, and to show
I’ve overcome the blow
I’ve learned to take it well
I only wish my words
Could just convince myself
That it just wasn’t real
But that’s not the way it feels

[Verse 2]
Operator, well could you help me place this call
Cause I can’t read the number that you just gave me
There’s something in my eyes
You know it happens every time
I think about the love that I thought would save me

No, no, no, no
That’s not the way it feels

[Verse 3]
Operator, well let’s forget about this call
There’s no one there I really wanted to talk to
Thank you for your time
Ah, you’ve been so much more than kind
You can keep the dime